As Karla watched Raul lean in, her heart thumped.
There is no way he is going to kiss me. She had thought.
It seemed too easy. Too sudden. He was probably going to try to tease her again, but this time she would be prepared.
His lips came down on hers.
She'd been wrong. Raul didn't attempt to entice her, rather, he went straight to the point and kissed her. Karla was prepared to take on his teasing, but nothing had readied her for the real deal.
His kiss was gentle, nothing like how she imagined a man like him would do it. He gingerly pressed his lips on hers, causing Karla's heart to race even faster. They both stopped dancing, and with his hand on her waist, Raul pushed Karla to himself, so that he felt every curve and plane of her body.
With his tongue, he urged her mouth open, licking her lips. She granted him access, without hesitation. This was what she wanted after all. The at first soft kiss suddenly changed to something more rough. Raul hungrily devoured Karla's lips, as if he'd found something brand new, and he didn't want to ever let it go. Karla replied with just as much intensity, letting passion flow through the interlocking of their lips.
She didn't know how long they stood there, kissing, neither did she care. All she was concerned about was that moment in Raul's arms. Raul lifted his head, and an involuntary whimper escaped from Karla. She didn't want the kiss to end.
Even though Karla had promised herself that she wouldn't think about it, she found herself feeling relief that Raul had made a move on her. With that fire of a kiss, he was sure to come to her bed later tonight. Once she was done with that, she would be able to get Nana out of the way. That would allow her to take her time in planning Raul's murder, and an effective escape plan that had zero probability of failure.
She couldn't blame herself. Her mind was on autopilot. Business before pleasure. Guilt aside.
Uncertainly, Karla looked up at Raul, but he wasn't looking back at her. He was gazing at something beyond her shoulder. Karla followed his gaze, turning to search for what he was staring at. The crowd around them were still dancing to the music being played by the orchestra, so it was hard to fix your gaze at one person. After some seconds, Karla found what she was looking for —or rather who.
She stood at the far end of the hall, in front of a marble pillar. The woman stared straight ahead, unblinking. She was glaring. Karla assumed she had witnessed her(Karla) and Raul's entire make out session, and she didn't seem pleased about it. Karla looked back at Raul, then at the woman. No doubt, those two were exchanging glares.
Summing two and two together, Karla figured Raul knew the angry woman had been watching, even before he had began kissing her. For the second time that night, a nerve ticked in Karla's temple. Raul had kissed Karla just to make the woman furious, and from the woman's expression, he'd succeeded.
It seemed petty, and so not like Raul, the don of the Valdezian Mafia, but what other explanation was there? Why else would a woman glare at a man and another woman smooching if she wasn't jealous? And why would that man be glaring back if he hadn't done it in front of her on purpose?
Karla's head was devastated, since she hadn't made any progress, like she had thought. However, her heart was just plain hurt. Karla was used to being used —it was the C Cartel area of expertise (using people)— but this time felt different. She didn't want to admit it, but the things Raul did and said always got to her. He had the special knife that cut right through her thick skin, and he used it indiscreetly.
Following her every movement, Karla watched the woman saunter to them. Two men tried to talk to her as she came over, but she gave them no attention. Other people made way as she passed them, sensing her rage. On reaching her destination, she faced Raul squarely, completely ignoring Karla's presence.
Now that the woman was close, Karla took her time to study her. She was wearing a blue gown, the color of the sea. The bodice was made of a thin see-through net without linen, which showed off her spotless pale skin. Her small breast was covered with actual sea shells of varying sizes. The lower part of the gown was pleated. A dramatic side tail added the finishing touches, and overflowed all around her.
The woman had a small round face, with a very pointed chin. Her eyes were blue, just like her dress; her nose like that of a Greek statue. She wore a nude colored lipstick over her small but full lips. Her hair was blond and wavy.
To say the least, the lady was beautiful, even when frowning. This was the very first woman to ever par with Karla ever since her plastic surgery, and she(the woman) did all that with her natural looks. True, Karla never altered her face, but she felt her enticing body had a lot to do with her appeal. This woman rocked her tall and slender stature with just as much —if not more— appeal as Karla.
It was unreasonable, but Karla had a gut feeling that there would soon come a fierce competition between her and this woman.
"Raul." The woman said. She called his name sweetly, conflicting with the scowl on her face.
"Fuchsia~." Raul replied curtly.
"I need to talk to you." She glanced at Karla. "Alone."
Karla half expected Raul to refuse Fuchsia, but to her utmost surprise, he nodded. Without saying a word to her, he left with Fuchsia.
TEASER: AT THE BERNARDO RESIDENCE III